Best Coast

Since October is the closest thing San Francisco has to a summer, it’s simply fitting that surf poppers Best Coast are slated to cruise out to T.I. and grace us with their laid back, lo-fi tunes. Vocalist/guitarist Bethany Cosentino takes a break from the puff to partner up with multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno—the sound they produce has traditionally been reminiscent of simpler times during the fuzzed out ‘50s and ‘60s, when everyone was California dreaming, and the only darkness to fear was the setting of the sun. Cosentino’s honey-soaked voice is featured front-and-center on the otherwise distorted and fuzzed out jangling of Best Coasts’ tracks. With their second full-length, The Only Place, the duo made a departure from the charming garage-band production quality found on their first album, Crazy For You, and introduced a drier, yet still atmospheric, alt-country Americana sound that gives a nod to musicians like Neko Case. VERONICA YOUNG